After All, You're My Hero
by Spider Pro
Summary: Uraraka was not one to be reckless. She usually kept a level head. But when her best friend, Deku tells her about this little girl, the fear he saw in her eyes, she lost all sense of reason. For this girl that she'd never met, she almost got killed. But it was worth it. Manga Spoilers.
1. Calling of a Hero

A/N: This story takes off from chapter 150 of the manga. So if you're not completely caught up with it, I suggest waiting to read this until you are. Otherwise, a lot of this will make no sense. Manga spoilers, duh. This will probably be the only time I interact with you directly until the end. Let's get to the story!

* * *

Uraraka was fighting tooth and nail to keep the villains up front from following Deku and the others. They were so close to catching Chisaki now, she could feel it. She just had to hold out a little while longer. She heard a cry from next to her and realized Tsu had final been hit. "Froppy!" She cried. This wasn't looking good. Half of the pro heroes that stayed with them were down already. She rushed over to Tsu and made her weightless so she could get her to the ambulance that had arrived to treat the fallen heroes. Uraraka herself felt she was nearing her limit. She still hadn't had much time to practice strengthening her quirk, and she could feel the effects of the nausea. At this point in any other raid, she would have backed out as soon as she felt it to keep from being a hinderance to the others if she went past her limit. But this was different. This was so much more important than just another raid. The lives of heroes were on the line. That's why everyone else was fighting at least. For Uraraka, the thing keeping her going was the story Deku had told her before all this happened.

Episode 1: Calling of a Hero

"Come on, Deku. Spill. What happened during your internship?" The way he and Mirio had reacted at the news of this girl Night Eye mentioned was beyond shock. And guilt didn't even begin to describe the looks on their faces. She and Deku were sitting side by side on the couch in the common area. They had waited until everyone was gone since they weren't supposed to talk about their internships. "What happened that made you react like that?" She paused. "I'm worried about you."

Midoriya sighed. He should have known she would have noticed. Nothing he did seemed to slip past her anymore. "During my first day, Night Eye had the four of us split up. We were looking for any evidence we could use to go after Chisaki," he started. "Mirio and I were patrolling the town. We walked past an alleyway that we wouldn't have even thought to check. And all of a sudden, this little girl, probably not even ten, was hugging my leg. That was the first time I saw Chisaki. He was chasing her, claiming to be her father." He closed his eyes for a moment and leaned his head back. Uraraka looked at him with concern. When he opened his eyes again, they were wet with tears. "The fear I saw in her eyes. I knew as soon as I saw her eyes that she had been through things that would make adults go insane." He sniffed. "And... I couldn't help her!" He slammed his fist onto his knee. "I wanted nothing more than to just pick her up and run as fast as I could away from him! But then we would have wasted all of Night Eye's work trying to find anything on him. Hearing that helping that little girl, by taking her as far away from him as possible, would have put a stop to everything. I- I couldn't handle it." He sniffed again. The next words came out as just barely a whisper. "If I had saved Eri, then Chisaki would have nothing. She would be safe right now." He broke down.

Uraraka pulled him into a hug. He cried on her shoulder for what felt like an eternity. "Her arms were covered in bandages. Chisaki's quirk lets him demolish and reassemble. He'd probably destroyed her so many times, putting her back together only because he needed her. I can't imagine the pain she must have felt." Midoriya pulled away slightly. "She didn't let go of me until he started taking off his glove. The fear I saw before didn't even compare to what she felt when he showed his killing intent." He wiped his eyes, though it did no good. The tears were replaced almost immediately.

"I'm sorry, De- Izuku," Uraraka said. She pulled him back to her and let him finish getting it all out. "I don't think I would have held up this well if the same thing happened to me. You're stronger than you think," she said.

Midoriya shook his head. "I'm not strong. I should have done something!"

'What's the point of being a hero if you can't protect people?' She heard his voice ring in her head. 'Deku, you're doing everything you can to save this girl. You're a hero to me.' She was snapped out of her thoughts by a villain swinging at her. 'Can't get distracted! Gotta buy them time!

* * *

Lumillion was left lying on the floor. He couldn't move. His legs were weak. The Eight Precepts member that had been carrying the girl loomed above him.

"You call yourself a hero?" He kicked him in the ribs. Lumillion was too exhausted to focus his quirk. He screamed. "A real hero would be able to save a girl from just two people, easy peasy!" He kicked again. Another scream

"Hurry up. I'd like to go," Chisaki said. He held Eri by the hand, taking great care that she didn't touch his skin.

"He's almost out. Have to make sure he doesn't have an opportunity to tell anyone which way we went." He kept kicking that same spot and hoped he would just pass out already. "Come on! If you want to live, hero, then go to sleep." One of his kicks didn't connect. "What?" He kicked again, and felt only air. That was when he noticed. He was falling through the floor. "Crap!" He tried to grab hold of him, but his hands went right through him. Soon he disappeared completely. He turned to look at Overhaul, and immediately wished he hadn't. The look in his eyes, anger didn't even come close to describing it. "Master! I didn't mean to let him escape! I couldn't touch hi-!" He never had a chance to finish. From his torso up, he exploded. His legs fell down as it started to rain blood. Little Eri backed as far into the wall as she could. If only she could disappear like that hero.

Chisaki straitened himself, wiping the blood from his forehead with the back of his hand. "I have no need for useless pawns. You are disposable. You should have remembered that." He replaced his glove and turned back to Eri. "Now," he started. Her eyes widened even further, her mouth came open in a silent scream, and the tears now flowed freely down her face. "Let's get going."

* * *

"I wonder where they went?" Deku was split up from the other heroes during the chaos that was the fight with the League of Villains members. He couldn't help but recall the girl and her 'interest' in him. He shuddered. "I guess it doesn't matter where they are. I just have to keep looking for Chisaki. Rescuing Eri is our top priority."

And so he kept walking. In situations like this, with the stakes so high, minutes could feel like hours. Deku was getting impatient, and was about to start running when he noticed something above him. He was surprised to see someone falling from the ceiling. 'That's strange,' he thought. 'There's nothing up there to grab onto. Unless it's a villain that can stick to flat surfaces. But if that's what it is, why didn't I notice him sooner?' Then he noticed it. It was Lumillion! 'But why is he here?' It didn't take Deku long to realize that he wasn't in control of his fall and he rushed to catch him. He turned on Full Cowling and ran at full speed, just barely managing to catch before he hit the ground.

As he stood there, his battered friend in his arms, he couldn't believe his eyes. He was hurt. The untouchable hero was hurt. How? There was no way to touch him. Unless...

"Lumillion! What happened? Are you okay?" Deku frantically asked. He already had a fairly good idea of how this had happened.

Mirio's eyes slowly opened. He lifted a shaky arm to point at a spot on the other. It was a hole so tiny it was hard to make out. "They got me with their quirk eraser." Deku's eyes widened in horror as his suspicions were confirmed. "Everything was moving so fast and by the time I realized they had the gun out I was already hit." He winced. "It's getting weaker though. It only lasted for a few minutes. They must have diluted it before we got here."

"Which means they're running out," Deku finished for him.

"Right." Lumillion winced again. "Listen. You have to get Eri. They're in the space right above us. Heading east. I was hoping to come across more heroes, but I'm glad I found you." He smiled up at him. "You're fast. You can dodge their quirk eraser."

Deku smiled down at his friend. He'd put so much faith in him. Even though he still had a lot to learn, Mirio trusted him to finish this himself.

He nodded. "Right. I won't let you down." He gently laid Mirio on the ground, far away from where he'd landed. 'Just above us, right?' He squatted and sent the power of One For All through his whole body. The next floor was roughly 30 meters up. He was confident he could make the jump.

He leapt into the air, soaring at breakneck speed toward the ceiling. When he was two meters from the top, he flipped his body so that he was parallel to the ground. "SMMAAASH!" He gave a mighty kick and the power from his leg combined with the extra force from his boot easily broke through the concrete. Huge slabs went flying up before falling back down and he was relieved he'd set Mirio down a ways away.

He didn't calculate the force of his kick into the jump however. Before he knew it, he was falling back down. 'Crap! I'll lose precious time if I have to land and jump again,' he thought. It was time to put his new quick thinking to the test. He hit a slab of concrete as he fell and an idea came to him. He quickly adjusted himself so that his feet were on the slab and jumped up. It flew to the ground even faster but he'd gotten almost no upward thrust. 'There are other slabs just like that one. I can do this!' He propelled himself from one falling slab to the other, sometimes having to use his arms to launch himself instead of his legs.

It took 13 jumps, but he made it through the new hole in no time. As he landed he got his bearings. 'Now which way is east?' He asked himself. Before he could decide on which way to go, he heard what sounded like an explosion followed by a powerful and heartbreaking scream. It was faint, like it was far away, but he knew which direction it was coming from. Without thinking, he took off full speed in that direction, blue sparks flying around his body as he ran.

* * *

Midoriya: It's time for the preview! With the information Lumillion gave me, it's time to go find Chisaki and rescue Eri!

Eri: No! He's too strong! He'll kill you!

Midoriya: It's alright. I won't run away this time. I'll be your hero!

Eri: That other hero said the same thing.

Midoriya: Lumillion! I'll make sure to save Eri in your place!

Uraraka: I'll help too! I don't want either of you to be sad anymore!

Midoriya: Uraraka?! Where did you come from? And what's with that giant hole in the ground? Next time, 'Rescued.'

Uraraka: It's finally my time to shine!

Eri: Go beyond.

Midoriya and Uraraka: PLUS ULTRA!


	2. Rescued

He gently laid Mirio on the ground, far away from where he'd landed. 'Just above us, right?' He squatted and sent the power of One For All through his whole body. The next floor was roughly 30 meters up. He was confident he could make the jump.

He leapt into the air, soaring at breakneck speed toward the ceiling. When he was two meters from the top, he flipped his body so that he was parallel to the ground. "SMMAAASH!" He gave a mighty kick and the power from his leg combined with the extra force from his boot easily broke through the concrete. Huge slabs went flying up before falling back down and he was relieved he'd set Mirio down a ways away.

He didn't calculate the force of his kick into the jump however. Before he knew it, he was falling back down. 'Crap! I'll lose precious time if I have to land and jump again,' he thought. It was time to put his new quick thinking to the test. He hit a slab of concrete as he fell and an idea came to him. He quickly adjusted himself so that his feet were on the slab and jumped up. It flew to the ground even faster but he'd gotten almost no upward thrust. 'There are other slabs just like that one. I can do this!' He propelled himself from one falling slab to the other, sometimes having to use his arms to launch himself instead of his legs.

It took 13 jumps, but he made it through the new hole in no time. As he landed he got his bearings. 'Now which way is east?' He asked himself. Before he could decide on which way to go, he heard what sounded like an explosion followed by a powerful and heartbreaking scream. It was faint, like it was far away, but he knew which direction it was coming from. Without thinking, he took off full speed in that direction, blue sparks flying around his body as he ran. "Don't worry, Eri! I WILL save you this time!"

Episode 2: Rescued

*Earlier*

A loud roar shook the earth as the pro hero, Ryukyu had finally been hit. The enemy had brought out someone with some kind of explosion quirk. He flew around so fast that the dragon had no hope of following him.

"Ryukyu!" Uraraka yelled. The giant dragon had been hit. They were getting their serious players out to fight. She barely had any time to think. Almost before she took out one enemy, another was there to take his place. Froppy had been hurt already and was resting behind the front lines. Given the nature of Uraraka's quirk, it was nothing short of a miracle that she hadn't been seriously hurt yet. She was feeling nauseous though. Maybe she had enough. She finally caught a break after dispatching one more villain. She looked up at the people she had fought already. Eighteen in total. They were all hanging in the air, completely helpless since they couldn't propel themselves. She'd made sure to give them all a good shove forward before she sent them flying.

They were all hanging above their comrades, trying to get their attention. But with all the noise of the battle, they either couldn't hear them or didn't care. They'd care in a minute. "RELEASE!" Uraraka tapped her fingers together and pink light glowed from them. Suddenly they weren't floating. Unmanly screams filled the air as they fell. Right onto their teammates. Cries of shock rang out in the courtyard as the gang members on the ground were crushed by their comrades.

That attack alone was enough to devastate the enemy team. Only half of them remained at most. Now the only real threat was flying around Ryukyu. Uraraka took a moment to congratulate herself as well as work some of her stamina back up. Eighteen bodies was a lot to handle. She took the chance to step away from the battle and take one of her mints to push the nausea back. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around to find Nejire smiling like an idiot.

"Woah! That was some attack! I didn't know you could use your quirk like that, Uravity! That's awesome! That's the same kind of attack you used in the sports festival right? Is that hard to do? 'Cause if it is, then you're probably really tired. But I just have so many questions!" Uraraka giggled softly. She was just as talkative as ever even in the middle of a fight.

Uraraka turned to watch how Ryukyu would handle fighting the explosion guy. The dragon kept trying to grab him out of the air, but every time a clawed hand got close, he blasted himself away. His quirk was very similar to Bakugo's, but he obviously didn't have the right training. And he wasn't nearly as good at using it. But good or not, he was still a pain to deal with.

Uraraka wondered for a moment if she could help the dragon take him down. She immediately shot it down. If she got hurt she would just be in the way. Ryukyu would beat him. And if not, she would keep him occupied long enough for Deku and the others to finish the mission. She would just have to trust that they were okay.

* * *

Fat Gum eyed the villain carefully. He'd shown that he wasn't one to pick unfair fights, but he didn't want to leave anything to chance. He continued to keep careful guard over Kirashima. He was worried about Tamaki, yes. But he couldn't leave the man vulnerable to attack to search for him. He'd resigned himself to dealing with the worry. But he honestly hadn't expected Tamaki to stumble through the doorway.

The villain perked up too. "Someone else to fight?"

Tamaki looked Fat Gum in the eye, and with every ounce of strength he could muster, he uttered two words. "I won." He collapsed. Fat ran over to him. He kneeled over him and held his hand in front of his mouth. When he had confirmed he was still breathing he checked his pulse. It was faint, but regular. He scooped the boy up and laid him on the second bed in the infirmary. He got right to work on patching him up.

"I'm proud of you, Tamaki." As Fat bandaged his wounds, he made sure to keep checking that the villain was staying put.

Suddenly everything was shaking. An ear deafening crash shook the whole place. Cracks were forming in the ceiling and dust fell on them. "An explosion!?" Fat yelled. Kirashima was jolted awake by the noise

"What was that!?" Kirashima yelled. He took a moment to survey his surroundings. He was surprised to see the villain docile. Then his eyes landed on Fat and the person he was tending to. "Tamaki!" He hopped out of bed almost collapsing with the effort. He made his way over to his friend. "Is he gonna be alright?"

"He'll be fine. We should probably get out of here though. Looks like this place is about to come down," Fat explained. He finished bandaging Tamaki's wounds and scooped him up. "We need to find a way out of here. It'd be great if we could come across the others too."

* * *

"GRWAAA!" The clawed hand came down at lightning speed. Suddenly he was shot out of the sky. She had him pressed against the ground trying to ignore the pain in her hand from the explosions. "Finally got you, you little bug," she growled.

Pro Hero: Ryukyu! Her quirk, Dragon! She can transform her body into a giant fire-breathing dragon! The change doesn't last for long though. The transformation causes immense stress on the body. Therefore, she can only hold the form for about nine minutes at her best!

"Yeah, Ryukyu!" Uraraka and Nejire called.

"Damnit! How'd you know?" He grunted. Little explosions continued going off around him in an effort to get the dragon to release him.

"It was easy after watching you for a while. Your quirk is powerful, but you don't know how to use it," she growled. "You've had no training, you use the same patterns over and over again. All I had to do was figure it out."

"Arg! Damnit!" He was throwing a tantrum. "Damnit! Damnit!" The explosions he was giving off were getting more powerful. "If I go down, I'm taking you heroes with me!" His whole body started glowing from the inside. The dragon's eyes widened.

"What's he doing," Uraraka asked nervously. She subconsciously backed away.

"Get to cover!" Ryukyu yelled. Keeping her hand held down on him tightly, she wrapped her body around him as well. "He's gonna self destruct!"

All the heroes took just a second to process her words. Before carefully panicking. Suddenly every hero was moving at once. Some moved to the street to grab civilians and get them out of harms way. Others tried to build up barricades to guard the wounded. And all this happened within the span of thirty seconds. Right before the explosion, the air went silent. Everything happened in slow motion. The air around them was dragged toward Ryukyu and the villain the same way water is dragged underneath a tsunami before striking. In a fraction of a second it was all released at once.

The dragon tried her best to contain the explosion, but her limbs went flying out. She was thrown away like a ragdoll. The ground under the heroes feet shook violently and cracks formed from the epicenter leading out towards them. It was the longest ten seconds of any of the heroes' lives.

Uraraka slowly stood up, gripping her aching head and covering her ringing ears. Fire. Fire and destruction. That was all that greeted her when she opened her eyes. At her feet lay her mentor, Ryukyu, motionless. The whole front of her body was covered in horrific burns. And she was out cold. Uraraka gasped. She stared down in horror at the hero she thought unbeatable. It didn't take her long to react. She made the hero weightless before pushing her back to the ambulance.

Uraraka slowly walked toward the center of the blast. She didn't get very far though. Just past the blazing ring of fire was a ginormous hole. It had to be forty or fifty meters wide. To think that someone could cause this kind of destruction. As she stared into the abyss that had been opened up she realized that several floors below the ground had been made visible.

'I hope Deku and the others didn't get hit by that,' Uraraka thought. She checked through the floors to see if there was anyone stuck under the debris. Her eyes narrowed in concentration before widening in shock. There, two floors down, she saw two figures. A little girl in a white dress and a man with a bird mask. 'That's- that's Chisaki. So that girl must be Eri,' she thought. 'But there's no one else around. Did they just not find him in time or did he..?' She shook her head. 'No, I cant think like that. More importantly, he's right there. I can stop him!' It didn't look like he'd noticed her yet and he was still getting over the effects of the explosion.

Uraraka floated herself and grabbed the now destroyed ground under her. She pointed her floating body right at him. With all the strength she could muster she propelled herself at him. As she flew through the air she noticed the girl was looking at her. And was desperately trying to get her to stop. Seeing the way she reacted to the prospect of getting rescued lit something inside Uraraka. She suddenly felt an intense, burning hatred for the man holding her

She stopped herself short of hitting him in favor of grabbing the broken ground above him. She swung with all her might, landing a kick squarely on his head. He went flying back from the force, screaming profanities as he went. While he was recovering, Uraraka floated Eri and threw her to the other side of the crater. Once she was sure the girl was safe, she released her quirk and turned back to Chisaki.

He slowly stood, gripping his aching, and now bleeding head. "There's just no end to you is there," he asked. He locked eyes with Uraraka, and she felt a terrible chill down her spine. "You must all be cured." Her eyes widened in fear. Then narrowed in fury.

"And you'd use your own daughter to do it?!" She was livid. To use someone like that. Your own flesh and blood. The thought was disgusting to her. She couldn't help but think of her own parents and how they treated her. There couldn't be a more polar opposite.

Chisaki looked puzzled for a moment before realization dawned on his face. "Huh? That old story? I made it up to get those heroes off my back. She's only a pawn. A useful one, though. If she breaks, I put her back together." He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world. Like it was common knowledge.

Uraraka stood her ground. "You're a psychopath."

He shrugged. "Maybe. But I'm the psychopath that will cure this world of it's sickness." He lunged. Time slowed down again. Uraraka couldn't even move. When had he taken his glove off? When they were talking? Before that? It didn't matter now though. She was going to die, and this little girl would be taken again.

"SMAAASH!" A gloved fist flew in from behind her, glowing with blue sparks. It connected with Chisaki's cheek, sending him flying once again. Deku landed right in front of her. In that moment, to her, he looked like the symbol of peace himself. "Don't worry, Uraraka." He turned back to face her, a determined look on his face. "I'll save you!"

* * *

Midoriya: Now the preview! Looks like I arrived just in time! I found you, Chisaki! I won't let you hurt this girl anymore!

Chisaki: I'll tell you just like that other hero, I threw away that name. I am Overhaul!

Midoriya: I don't care what you call yourself.

Uraraka: You are SO gonna get what's coming to you!

Midoriya: Next time, 'Final Boss.'

Uraraka: Deku's showing his resolve to protect everyone!

Midoriya: Go beyond!

Midoriya and Uraraka: PLUS ULTRA!


	3. Final Boss

**A/N: Okay. It's been a while. And I know I said I wouldn't talk to you directly like this very much, but I thought I had to explain. I can't force myself to write. I'll get an idea of what I want to do maybe a minute later in the story, but getting the characters there seamlessly is the hard part. And I don't want to force those transitions and have it come out crappy. I will only post content that I am happy with. I hope you understand that the next chapter may take just as long to come out. I also want to make the chapters longer like this one in the future. At least 4,000 words including the recap and the preview.**

* * *

"You must all be cured." Uraraka's eyes widened in fear. Then narrowed in fury.

"And you'd use your own daughter to do it?!" She was livid. To use someone like that. Your own flesh and blood. The thought was disgusting to her. She couldn't help but think of her own parents and how they treated her. There couldn't be a more polar opposite.

Chisaki looked puzzled for a moment before realization dawned on his face. "Huh? That old story? I made it up to get those heroes off my back. She's only a pawn. A useful one, though. If she breaks, I put her back together." He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world. Like it was common knowledge.

Uraraka stood her ground. "You're a psychopath."

He shrugged. "Maybe. But I'm the psychopath that will cure this world of it's sickness." He lunged. Time slowed down again. Uraraka couldn't even move. When had he taken his glove off? When they were talking? Before that? It didn't matter now though. She was going to die, and this little girl would be taken again.

"SMAAASH!" A gloved fist flew in from behind her, glowing with blue sparks. It connected with Chisaki's cheek, sending him flying once again. Deku landed right in front of her. In that moment, to her, he looked like the symbol of peace himself. "Don't worry, Uraraka." He turned back to face her, a determined look on his face. "I'll save you!"

Episode 3: Final Boss

The hallway was nothing but a blur as Deku ran by. It didn't matter what was down the other passages anyway. All that mattered was finding Eri. He wasn't sure how long he had been running when he saw light. 'Sunlight?' He thought. 'But I'm two floors down. How can the sun shine here?' He kept running towards it, throwing caution to the wind in his desperation to save the girl.

When he saw what the source of the light was, he panicked. Above him was a giant hole in the concrete. And one in the floor he was running on. He didn't have enough space to stop at the speed he was going. He'd have to jump it. Then he saw it. A figure cowering behind some of the rubble on his side. 'Eri,' he thought. Same blonde hair. Same white dress. Same bandages. He grimaced at that. He'd have to jump back over to get her. But why was she by herself? He turned back forward and audibly gasped. On the same floor on the other side of the crater, he saw Uraraka. It had to be. Her distinct black and pink hero suit was impossible to confuse with anyone.

And there was someone else with her. He couldn't tell who it was since she was blocking his face, but he had a good idea. He saw the man move toward her, and Uraraka stepped to the side to try and avoid the attack. But he was too fast. He helmet would be destroyed on impact and her head would be next. Deku's eyes narrowed in furry, everything but himself, Uraraka, and Chisaki disappearing. He kicked off the ground, sailing through the air toward them, fist pulled back and ready to strike. "Eight percent Detroit SMAAASH!" His fist flew right by Uraraka's head and straight into Chisaki's jaw. He flew back several feet, bouncing on his head before landing face down. Deku landed on his feet just in front of Uraraka. He turned back to face her, giving her the most confident look he could muster. "Are you okay, Uraraka?" He asked. She just nodded, too shocked to say anything, her eyes still wide. "Don't worry. I'll keep you safe!"

Chisaki slowly picked himself back up, still reeling from the force of the punch. As he lifted his head, his mask crumbled, the strap around his head falling to the ground. He slapped his hand over his mouth and nose, wether to conceal his face or to filter the air in place of his mask, they didn't know. He quickly assembled the pieces of his mask and repaired it with his quirk. He stood up and replaced his fixed mask. "There really is no limit to you nuisances," he said, blood running down from his hairline. "And you just keep getting more annoying." He signaled to someone behind them. Deku and Uravity stood confused for a second when they heard a scream from the other side of the crater.

When they turned around, they saw Eri had been picked up by someone wearing a bird mask like Chisaki's. She flailed her legs and swung her arms in an attempt to get the man to release her. "Come now, Eri. You wouldn't want me to have to use this would you?" She only stopped when he held up a gun for her to see. Her eyes widened in realization. He pointed it at the heroes.

"Wait! Please! Leave them alone!" She cried.

Deku gasped. He hadn't seen anyone shot with it yet, but it didn't take a genius to realize what was loaded in the gun. Even if he only lost his quirk for a couple of minutes, it would be plenty of time for Chisaki to rip him apart. And the guy was holding Eri on top of that. Even if he jumped to the other side and avoided the shot, he would just use her as a shield. He was trapped on both sides. His vision started to close. His breath quickened. Even if he did manage to take the guy out, he would have to deal with Chisaki while keeping Eri safe. There were too many variables. Too many things that could go wrong. What if he hurt Eri himself while trying to keep her safe. What if-

Someone patted him on the shoulder. He snapped out of it. He turned to face Uraraka. She smiled at him and he was put somewhat at ease. "Don't worry, Deku. Everything will be fine. You said that earlier, right? Well I'm here too. We can do this!" Deku was shocked. Her determination was unreal. He smiled back and nodded.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." The two turned back to Chisaki. "You see, when your blonde friend was shot earlier, I was traveling with a rather low level thug. But he proved to be less than useful, so I killed him. I wouldn't trust him with anything valuable."

'Valuable?' Deku thought. 'What could be more valuable than what you're using to make your quirk erasers?'

"It's true we had to dilute our regular supply. But we have just a couple vials that are different. My second, Nemoto, over there carries half of them." He gestured to the man holding Eri.

"Different how?" Deku asked. The next voice came from behind him.

"Different in that the effects are permanent," the man, Nemoto said to him.

"Permanent?" Uraraka took a step away from him.

"Yes. One shot of this, and you can kiss your life as a hero goodbye," Eri continued to struggle in his grasp. "But before I do that, I'd like to ask how your quirks work. So girl, what do you do?"

Uraraka answered without thinking. "My quirk is called Zero Gravity. I can make anything I touch weightless." She gasped. "Why did I say that? I wanted to keep that a secret until I used it."

"Before I ask your friend, let me explain my quirk. If I ask someone a question, they have to answer honestly. Wether they want to or not." Nemoto turned his attention to Midoriya.

"Uraraka, make me float," Deku said. They locked eyes for a moment and she understood. She discretely reached for his hand and pulled his glove down. Just enough to get to his skin.

"Now, boy, how does your- AARGH!" He flew back, his grip on Eri loosening. Suddenly he wasn't holding the girl.

Uraraka touched her fingers together and Deku touched down, Eri safe and sound in his arms. "What was that? Sorry, maybe I should've let you finish," Deku said. Eri buried her head in his chest, just like she did the day they met.

"What the-? How did you-"

"Let me explain just a little about my quirk. It grants me immense strength. So I can use it to run at unbelievable speeds or jump across great distances," Deku said. "I'll be honest though. On my own, I never would have made it to the other side of this crater without some momentum. Gravity would have taken me to the bottom before I got halfway."

Nemoto's eyes widened. "The girl. You used her quirk?"

Deku heard clapping behind him. He turned to face Chisaki again, his face becoming grim. "Wonderful teamwork, heroes!" He called. "But up against an opponent such as myself, are you sure you can win." He crouched down and placed his hand on the ground. Suddenly the concrete started shifting, and the hole was being filled. Once the two sides of the crater were connected again, giant spikes started erupting from the ground. They were rounded, curling themselves in the shape of a ribcage.

"Uraraka!" Deku called. The spikes would hit her before him and Eri. She floated herself and kicked off the ground, putting distance between herself and the spikes. When they reached Deku, he jumped straight up. 'Okay, so it doesn't look like there's much of a range limit on his quirk. Kind of like Todoroki's. I'd be impressed if he wasn't a villain.' Now came his second problem. Avoiding being impales on the way down. He pointed his feet straight down so that his iron soles took the brunt of the impact. They shattered as he descended until he reached level ground.

The spikes retreated into the ground. Chisaki was probably planning to use them again. He'd have to stop him before anyone got hurt. He ran toward the villain at full speed. As he passed under Uraraka, he threw Eri up to her. He didn't have to look back to know that she'd caught the girl.

"SMAAASH!" He aimed a kick at Chisaki. If he could just get one solid hit, he could put the villain out of commission. But just a foot before he made contact, a wall of cement separated them. His iron sole helped him break through, but by the time he did, Chisaki had already moved out of his attack range. The spikes shot out of the ground again, catching the hero off guard. But they missed him completely. 'What the? Why aren't they hitting me?' He heard a scream from behind him. The voice was all too familiar to him. Eyes wide with horror, he turned to see Uraraka had been hit. 'He wasn't aiming for me. He was aiming for Uraraka all along. A concrete spike about an inch thick had stabbed right through her leg.

"Uraraka!" Her grip on Eri had loosened, but the girl was holding onto the hero with all her might. Deku turned back to the villain. "You're going to pay for that one, Chisaki." He charged for Chisaki head on, blue sparks flying around his body as Full Cowling carried him over the ground.

Chisaki's eyes narrowed. "What did you call me? I threw that name away along with my old life. I am Overhaul!" While the spikes retracted, new ones shot up at the same time. Overhaul did this in an attempt to catch the hero off guard.

But Deku kept running without dodging or jumping or even changing direction. He was confident the concrete spikes wouldn't be able to penetrate his iron soles. All he could see was Chisaki. Nothing else mattered but beating him. Because he abused this little girl, and because he hurt Uraraka. When he was inches away, another slab of concrete separated them. He charged his fist. "Eight percent Detroit SMASH!" He broke through the wall with ease, and using his fist had allowed his feet to keep carrying him. Without loosing speed, he kept charging at Chisaki.

And suddenly, a concrete spear was poking out through his shoulder. All Deku could do was scream. The spike was a whole inch and a half thick. Chisaki had kept building one of the spikes behind where Midoriya was running until it pierced the back of his shoulder. Deku kept running though, the spike slipping out of his shoulder, his right arm flailing at his side uselessly. With tears in his eyes, he launched a kick at Chisaki. It was just too fast for him to form another wall, and he want flying once again.

When Chisaki got up, he immediately placced his hand to the ground, ready to tear the hero apart. Deku kept running for him, ready to take whatever pain he had to to take the villain out. But nothing happened. Everything stayed as it was. Chisaki looked at his hand in disbelief before realization dawned on his face.

"How impressive... Eraserhead," he said. Deku stopped his mad charge when he heard that name. "But you're kind of a hypocrite. All you do is nullify quirks, but you say we can't?" Aizawa came out of the shadows of the floor above them.

"You really should train your subordinates better," Aizawa started. "It was one of yours that blew this hole in the ground." He jumped down to their floor with the confidence of years of experience.

"Mr. Aizawa! How did you find us?" Deku asked.

Aizawa glanced his direction for a second before snapping them right back to Chisaki. "It wasn't that hard really. What with all the noise this guy was making. Looks like I got here just in time too. You and Uravity seem pretty beat up." He adopted a fighting stance. "Why don't you two get out of here and to the paramedics. I think I can take this guy."

Deku shook his head. "No, he's too strong for one person to beat. Even a pro like you. We should work together. I don't really need my arms with my Shoot Style, so I can still fight. And as long as Uraraka keeps floating up there, her and Eri will be pretty safe." He turned to face Chisaki again. "Our best chance is to fight together."

Aizawa was silent for a moment. "Fine. I'll erase his quirk for as long as I can. You're gonna have to get a good hit on him in that time."

Deku nodded. "Right!" He took off. There were only a few meters between himself and Chisaki so he couldn't get much momentum. But it would be more than enough to take him out. He jumped, readying himself for the kick. "Maryland SMAASH!" As the hero swung his leg, Chisaki ducked under him. Deku flew past him but managed to land on his feet. He turned and charged again. 'I've got to land a blow before Mr. Aizawa's quirk stops working!' He went for another kick. This time it landed square on his chest. The impact sent Chisaki flying once again, a feeling that was becoming far to familiar for his liking. He skidded to a stop just inches from where Nemoto lay now unconscious on the ground.

For just a moment, Eraserhead had to blink. But it was more than enough for what Chisaki had in mind. As soon as his quirk was restored, he slapped his hand on Nemoto. What happened next could only be described as horrifying. Body parts detached from from the subordinate and deconstructed. In an instant, Nemoto was gone. Chisaki stood once again, now a menacing 7 feet tall. Black gashes covered his body, fusing it with that of his lackey. The resulting abomination truly looked like a demonic bird of prey. He flew on his feet almost faster than anyone could see toward Aizawa. Before the hero had a chance to use his quirk he was knocked out cold by a heavy backhand from the creature. "I must thank you for your sacrifice, Nemoto. If anyone could understand, it would be you." Even his voice was warped beyond recognition. He turned back to the heroes. And the look in his eyes sent shivers down their spines. "So, what will you do now, heroes?"

Midoriya stared at the abomination with pure terror in his eyes. But he stood his ground. If he was gonna win this, he had to get Uraraka and Eri out of the line of fire. But he doubted that Chisaki would give him the opportunity. He resolved himself to fighting for the time being. He'd just have to be careful about not hurting them.

"Ooh! What's going on here?!" Someone called. Deku chanced a look back. "Hado!" He called. She flew in from the ground floor, hovering next to Uraraka. Her cheerful demeanor changed when she saw the state they were in. She audibly gasped at the hole in Uraraka's leg and became even more concerned when she saw the similar one in Midoriya's shoulder. "I need you to get Uraraka and Eri out of here! I can't fight very well if I have to worry about them!"

Nejire stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "You're almost as bad as her, you can't fight!" She tried to protest.

"It'll be easier for me to fight if I don't have to worry about hurting them. I don't use my arms anyway, I'll be fine!" He charged at Chisaki again. Nejire could only gape at him as he went. The pain he had to be going through right now. And he was still going! She would have time to admire his determination later. Right now, she needed to get the still floating Uravity out of harms way.

She flew herself over to the girl and managed to release Eri's death grip on her. With both of them being weightless it would be easy to move. Once she made sure Eri was holding on to her, she grabbed the unconscious Uraraka by the hand. She just had to get them to ground level and to the ambulance. She was almost there when a wall of concrete blocked her way. She managed to stop herself just before she slammed into it. The sudden jolt woke Uraraka.

The first thing she did was cry out in pain. When she had regained enough composure she took in her surroundings. Her eyes roamed around the darker than she remembered hallway and landed on Midoriya. It took her all of a second to see the hole in his hero suit and the insane amount of blood running down his left arm. "Deku!" She called. All she got in response was him slightly turning his head to her to show that he heard her. Then she looked to where he was facing. "Is that... Chisaki," she asked.

"Yep," Nejire replied. "And he wants to take him by himself." Her face was grim.

Suddenly Uraraka's head snapped back up. "Eri! Where's Eri?" She snapped her head around frantically until she found the girl hanging from Nejire. Uraraka sighed in relief and smiled reassuringly at her. The two heroes were confused though when she let go of Nejire and floated back to Uraraka. She grabbed the girl and held her to her chest in an effort to comfort her.

Then for some reason, a cool sensation spread through Uraraka's body. The pain in her leg slowly dissipated until it was gone completely. She looked down at her previously searing thigh. The wound was gone. Like it never happened. The only indication was her ripped and bloodstained suit. She would have marveled at it more if not for the green blur that flew past her and the explosion that followed.

Deku had jumped into the air and kicked the concrete ceiling away. "Come on! We have to get away from here!" He called to his comrades. Nejire grabbed Uraraka's hand again and flew them out to ground level where Deku had landed. They touched down and Uraraka touched her fingers together, releasing herself and Eri. They had barely touched the ground when the space right under the girl shot upward, Chisaki in hot pursuit.

Nejire flew up after them only to be knocked out as a slab of concrete materialized right in her flight path. Uraraka, who was floating a good ways beneath her, managed to catch her before she hit the ground. She saw the green blur again as Deku launched himself toward the top of the pillar. Chisaki stood menacingly at the top with Eri riding on a ledge a few feet beneath him. Not giving the villain a chance to counter him, Deku just smashed the pillar. He chose his strike point carefully. Just underneath Eri so she flew toward him and Chisaki the opposite.

Deku opened up his arms as Eri fell toward him, the memory of their first meeting playing in his head. "I won't let go this time," he told her. She slammed into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her protectively. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and he brought his hand up to her head. Her arms were wrapped around his neck in a near death grip.

Suddenly Chisaki was in front of them again, although he lost most of the augmentation from his henchman. He kicked off a falling piece of rubble and launched himself at them. "Give. Her. BACK!" He yelled. The falling stone gathered into a spear. He launched it straight at Deku's head.

His body moved on it's own. His legs kicked as hard as they could toward the villain. He hadn't expected to hit him, they were too far away for that. He was only hoping to generate enough wind pressure to make the spear deviate from it's path. And he hadn't expected to find himself halfway across town. 'Crap! Did I loose control and use a hundred percent again? But then why?' He looked down at his legs. They weren't flailing uselessly. The pain in his shoulder had also vanished.

"Eri's quirk is one that she can't control!" Deku heard Chisaki's voice. He managed to land without breaking anything. A warm-cool sensation overtook him as he stood. He looked around for the source of the voice but couldn't find it. "Her quirk lets her rewind humans." A low and loud rumble echoed through the city, slowly getting louder as the source got closer to him and Eri. "That's why I never let her touch me! If you keep holding her like that, she could turn you back into a child. Or even worse, rewind you out of existance!" A giant worm like creature came into sight through the building made of rocks and rubble, Chisaki rooted into the gaping mouth. "So hand her over!"

* * *

Midoriya: Here's the preview! Eri's quirk has been revealed, and now it's up to me to keep her safe!

Chisaki: Keep her safe? You should be worried about yourself! If I don't kill you, she'll make you pop out of existence!

Midoriya: She won't! She can control her power. I believe in her.

Chisaki: Then you're a fool.

Midoriya: Next time, 'Eri's Heart.' The wounds from Eri's past can't control her anymore! It's time to go beyond! PLUS ULTRA!


End file.
